Foreign and Commonwealth Office

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage UK ambassadors to the 27 EU member states to request a meeting between a delegation of UK citizens resident in those countries and the respective governments of those countries to express their concerns and discuss future plans for their residency arrangements after Brexit.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Since the EU Referendum our Overseas Posts in the 27 EU Member States have been engaging regularly with UK Nationals living in those countries on a range of issues from the UK's EU Exit, including around residency. In many Member States, our Posts have already involved host governments and others have plans to do so in the coming months. Engagement with UK Nationals, and host governments will continue regularly in the run up to the UK's EU Exit, ensuring UK Nationals have the most up to date information on residency rights and other issues.

Iran: Christianity

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Iran about the reported arrest of over 100 Christians in Iran.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Despite constitutional recognition, the persecution of Christians has been continuous, systemic, and institutionalised. We regularly raise the treatment of Christians in Iran with the Iranian Government, and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they planto invite members of other political parties to work with themto enable thedraft Withdrawal Agreementto be ratified and the UK's permanent relationship with the EU to be negotiated.

lord callanan: The requirements for ratification of the draft Withdrawal Agreement are set out in section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The Act requires the negotiated withdrawal agreement and the framework for the future relationship to have been approved by a resolution of the House of Commons, a motion for the House of Lords to take note of the negotiated withdrawal agreement and the framework for the future relationship to have been tabled, and an Act of Parliament to have been passed which contains provision for the implementation of the withdrawal agreement.The Prime Minister has confirmed that the Government intends to return to the debate in the House of Commons in the week commencing 7 January and hold the vote the following week. I am confident that we will have a deal the House of Commons can support.As the Prime Minister set out on 4 December, the Government will then consult more widely and engage more intensively with Parliament as we finalise the mandate for the next phase of the negotiations.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Bottles

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many plastic bottles they estimate are used in the UK each year; what proportion of these plastic bottles is recyclable; and whether cans and glass bottles do more harm to the environment than plastic bottles.

lord gardiner of kimble: Evidence received as part of a Government Call for Evidence suggests that UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles a year, all of which are recyclable. Whether they are actually recycled depends on the local collection service and demand in end markets. The aim of good waste management is to maximise recovery of useful materials and minimise impacts on the environment. There is evidence of the gradation of harm to the environment from the presence of different materials, however the Government has not carried out any assessment of the relative impacts of different types of litter on the environment. WRAP’s (Waste and Resources Action Programme) carbon ready reckoner assesses the carbon impacts of different types of packaging. WRAP analysis suggests that it is not the material that is the determining factor of its carbon footprint, but rather other considerations such as packaging weight, recycled content, performance, and management of the packaging at end of life. The carbon footprint of all packaging materials can be reduced through optimising recycled content and weight. Different materials have different environmental costs and benefits and, as set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, our goal is to maximise the value of the resources we use whilst minimising waste and its impact on the environment.

Plastics: Packaging

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a lower carbon footprint than other forms of alternative packaging; why there is only one site in the UK able to recycle PET for use in food grade products; and what assessment they have made of the absence of such facilities on the amount of waste exported for recycling.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has assessed the carbon footprint of different types of packaging as part of its carbon ready reckoner, which assesses the carbon impacts of design changes to a packaged product. WRAP analysis suggests that in assessing polyethylene terephthalate (PET), compared with other forms of packaging, it is not the material that is the determining factor of its carbon footprint, but rather other considerations such as packaging weight, recycled content, performance, and management of the packaging at end of life. The carbon footprint of all packaging materials can be reduced through optimising recycled content and weight. The number of recycling facilities in the UK is driven by demand from industry in meeting their packaging recycling and recovery obligations, as part of a market-based form of producer responsibility. The decision by manufacturers whether to use recycled content in their products is a complex one. New Government policies, that will shortly be consulted on, such as reform of the packaging waste producer responsibility system and introducing a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers, will help to increase the quality and quantity of materials available to recyclers and stimulate demand for secondary materials. The Government has also announced the introduction of a new tax from April 2022 on any produced or imported plastic packaging that does not include at least 30% recycled content, which will further drive up demand.

Hares

baroness miller of chilthorne domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health of the hare population in the UK.

baroness miller of chilthorne domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the current hare population in the UK compares with the population of hares (1) 5, (2) 10, and (3) 25 years ago.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK has brown hare and mountain hare populations. The 2018 Mammal Society report A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals includes estimates for the populations of both. It concluded that the brown hare population in Great Britain is stable, with an estimated population of around 579,000 animals, although acknowledged the population could be between 427,000–1,990,000 animals. The first National Brown Hare Survey estimated the hare population at around 817,000 in 1991-1993 and a second survey in 1997-1999 estimated the population to be around 750,000. These estimates are within the range of the 2018 estimate but given the different methodologies used it is not possible to make a direct comparison. In the same Mammal Society review, the mountain hare population in Great Britain was estimated to be around 135,000 animals, although the study acknowledges that the population could be between 81,000–526,000 animals. Population estimates published in 1995 concluded that there were around 360,000 mountain hares in GB. This is within the range of the 2018 estimate.

Hares: Hunting

baroness miller of chilthorne domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a closed season for the hunting of hares.

lord gardiner of kimble: Wildlife conservation is a devolved matter so this answer is for England only. The population of brown hares in England is believed to be stable. The majority of hare shooting occurs in regions where brown hares are locally abundant and leads to no long-term impact on hare populations. There is no evidence to suggest that a closed season would significantly benefit the conservation status of brown hares. An industry-led initiative resulted in the publication of a code of practice to protect hares in England. This provides for a voluntary close season covering the main breeding season, while allowing farmers to protect their crops from serious damage by hares.

Ritual Slaughter

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 12 December (HL Deb, cols1337–1340), what is the average time it takes for unstunned (1) lambs, and (2) cattle to die after their throats have been cut under the Halal method of slaughter; and how many lambs and cattle are so slaughtered each year in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: Legislation on the welfare of animals at slaughter is based on scientific data for time to unconsciousness after the neck cut, rather than time to death, as the period between the neck cut and loss of consciousness has more welfare significance. The time to unconsciousness and time to death will vary amongst animals, influenced by a number of factors including the quality of the neck cut, restraint and occlusion of blood vessels. No data is collected on average time to death for animals subject to religious slaughter or to other slaughter methods, although various research projects have commented upon the time to unconsciousness, such as the EU Dialrel project. The Department does not hold data on animals killed by Halal slaughter methods each year. The data we hold on this is based on surveys carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The latest FSA survey, carried out earlier this year over a one week period, indicates that 214 cattle and 60,748 sheep were subject to non-stun Halal slaughter that week.

Agriculture: Migrant Workers

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that the interests of the UK’s meat processing sector and other agriculture industries are accounted for in their immigration policy after Brexit.

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey intend to take to ensure that the meat sector is able to access the labour it needs throughout the year after Brexit.

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they will provide to the meat processing sector to ensure a smooth transition to UK labour after Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: It is a priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain, which invests in its people and skills. Defra is engaging actively with the Brexit Livestock Group, which was set up in early 2017 to provide a forum in which to discuss issues common to the livestock sector as a whole.Defra understands the importance of labour in supporting a successful and effective meat processing sector, and is considering how best to support the needs of the sector both before and after the UK leaves the EU.The UK Government has guaranteed that EU citizens resident in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to stay and we will take the necessary steps to protect their rights in a ‘no deal’ scenario. They will continue to be able to work, study, and access benefits and services in the UK on the same basis after we leave the EU as they do now.Defra is working closely with other government departments, devolved administrations, partners, and businesses so that the food and farming industry is at the heart of EU exit preparations. We continue to work with industry partners to understand the challenges and opportunities in order to ensure a smooth transition.Defra is also working to ensure that the meat processing sector has access to a sufficient number of veterinary surgeons, meat hygiene inspectors, slaughterers and livestock drivers.In the first phase of the withdrawal agreement we secured agreement on the continued recognition of professional qualifications, including Vets, where recognition decisions were received or were ongoing, before the withdrawal date.After we leave the EU, we must have an immigration system which works in the best interests of the UK – controlling immigration whilst continuing to ensure we have access to the labour we need.Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure that there is a long term strategy for the food and farming workforce, including the meat processing sector, as part of the future immigration policy.A White Paper on the future border and immigration system was published on 19 December 2018. This paper sets out the Government’s proposals for the UK’s future immigration system after our exit from the EU.For the longer term, Defra is working with industry to raise awareness of the career opportunities within the agriculture and food industry to attract domestic workers, and is exploring the potential for innovation and automation in meeting future labour demands.

Agriculture: Training

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support agricultural industries in training UK workers after Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: It is a priority of this government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive agricultural sector, which invests in its people and skills. Access to a sufficient and appropriately-skilled workforce is essential to continued industry growth, productivity and safety. Agricultural technologies are transforming farming, creating new types of jobs and requirements for new kinds of skills. By raising awareness of agriculture as an exciting and attractive career path, more people will understand the opportunities available in the farming industry. The government is working with industry bodies to improve access to the talent and skills required. The Food and Drink Sector Council has established a Workforce and Skills Group to develop a long-term action plan for a world-class workforce for all sectors of the food chain, including agriculture. The government is reforming post-16 technical education to provide clear routes to skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the introduction of new T levels programmes, which alongside apprenticeships, will sit within 15 routes, including agriculture, environmental and animal care.